CAMPO FELICE -- An emergency service helicopter ferrying an injured skiier to hospital crashed Tuesday between the Gran Sasso mountain and the Campo Felice resort from a height of 600 metres, leaving all six aboard dead, police said.

 The aircraft was flying in areas of dense snow and fog but it was a 'normal flight,' unrelated to the recent earthquakes and avalanche incident.

 Rescue services tried to locate the helicopter as soon as possible, but operations were made difficult by adverse weather conditions.

 Engineer Marco Cordeschi said that the accident was “most likely due to the fog, as the route of the flight is well known.”

 The National Agency for Flight Safety has opened an investigation into the incident.

sw-jp